Combined gage and finger-guard



(No Model.)

A. T. SNELL; COMBINED GAGE AND FINGER GUARD.

No. 523,380. PatentedJuly 24, 1894.

EH5 420., worn-Lino" msmuafom '0v c UN TED STATES "ATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR T. SNELL, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED GAGE AND FINGER-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,380, dated July 24, 1894.

' Application filed August 25. 1893. 8rla1No.484,053. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR T. SNELL, of Santa Barbara, in the county of Santa Barbara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Gage and Finger-Guard, of which the following is a specification.

The present improved gage and fingerguard is designed for the use of mechanics and carpenters when using a ruler or square in marking a line at a desired distance from the edge of a board. In order that the line may be exactly parallel with the edge of the board and at the desired distance, a gage is necessary, and in case the board is rough it is desirable to furnish a guard for the fingers or thumb to prevent injury from splinters as the hand holding the ruler or square is moved alongthe edge of the board. Heretofore combined gages and finger-guards have been used for accomplishing these purposes, and the object of the present invention is to improve such prior gage's and guards by an.

improved construction which enables the gage and guard to be maintained in position on the ruler or square, and which enables the gage and guard to be grasped by the hand simultaneously with the ruler or square so that the combined gage and guard together with the ruler or square are grasped in exactly the same way as the ruler or square would be grasped if the gage and guard were not used.

I using it. Fig. 2, is a perspective view of the gage'and guard. Fig. 3, is a side view. Fig. 4:, is a view of the sheet metal blank from which the gage and guard is made. Fig. 5,

. is a perspective view of a modification. Fig.

6, is a side view thereof. Fig. '7, is a view of the sheet metal blank from which the same is made. Fig. 8, is a modified form of blank.

The preferred form of the combined gage and guard is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

A, is the guard plate which slides along in contact with the edge of the board.

B, is a finger plate which extends longitudiruler or square.

thereby determining the distance from -'the edge of the board at which the line should be drawn. I

D, is a bridge connecting the finger-plate B, and the spring clasp or thumb-plate O, at right-angles to both, and which comes in contact with a straight edge of the ruler or square when in use and prevents any tilting of the combined gage and guard upon the ruler or square, thereby maintaining the position of the gage edge a of the plate 0 per-, pendicular to a straight edge of the rule or square.

E, is'a push-plate at one end of the guardplate A, extending across said plate A at substantially right-angles both to said plate A and to the finger-plate B.

In using the combined gage and guard, the ruler or square is inserted in the space between the finger-plate B and the spring clasp or thumb-plate C, until the bridge D seats squarely on the straight edge of the The combined gage and guard is then properly positioned or located on the ruler or square by means of the gage edge 0b., The combined guage and guard is then grasped simultaneously with the ruler or square by the thumb and forefinger of the left hand (the right hand using a pencil as shown in Fig. 1), the thumb resting upon the spring clasp or thumb-plate O, and the ball of the forefinger upon the finger-plate B, with the side of the forefinger pressed against the guard-plate A and its end against the pushplate E. The spring clasp or thumb-plate G being free at one end enables the combined gage and guard to be firmly clamped to the ruler or square. The ruler or square with the gage and guard is moved along as the pencil mark is drawn by the right hand, the movement being facilitated by the forefinger pushing against the push-plate E.

The free end I) of the thumb-plate C is curved outwardly away from the finger-plate B, to facilitate placing the gage and guard upon the ruler or square.

The free end a of the guard-plate A, and the end cl where it is united with the pushplate E, are both curved inwardly, that is away from the edge of the board when in use, in order that the ends of the plate A need not catch upon any splinters in the board.

The joint e between the push-plate E and the thumb-plate B, is preferably made a close joint, as by solder, so as to increase the rigidity of the combined gage and guard.

finger-plate B is preferably greater than the 5 width of an ordinary carpenters ruler, so as to increase the clamping action thereofupon the ruler.

The entire combined gage and guard is made out of a single blank of sheet metal which is stamped out into the shape shown in Fig. 4. In this figure the full lines indicate differs from the preferred construction in the omission of the push-plate E, and in being left-handed, that is, it is used in the same way as the preferred construction when the ruler and the combined gage and guard are held in the right hand and the pencil is held in the left hand. This modified "construction can, however, be held in the left hand when the right is using the pencil, by placing the bridge D below the ruler instead of above as shown in Fig. 1. The blank from which the modified construction is made is shown in Fig. 7, and the manner of bending up the tool therefrom is just the same as with the blank shown in Fig. 4.. The push-plate E, can be and preferably is formed without any joint e between it and the finger-plate B,by forming the blank of the shape shown in Fig. 8,wherein the plate portion B extends to the right as far as does the guard-plate A. Witha blank so constructed the plate E can be stamped up so as to be integral with the plate B as well as with the plate A.

I claim as my invention- 1. A combined gage and guard eompo sedof the guard-plate, the finger-plate at a rightangle to said guard-plate, and the thumbplate parallel with said finger-plate, said finger-plate and thumb-plate being yieldingly connected and spaced so as to embrace between them a ruler on the opposite sides thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. A combined gage and guard composed of the guard-plateadapted to bear against the work, the finger-plate at a right-angle to said guard-plate, and the thumb-plate parallel with and on the outside of said finger-plate, said finger and thumb plates being spaced so as to embrace between them a ruler on opposite sides thereof, andsaid thumb-plate having one edge in the plane of said guard-plate whereby said edge serves as a gage, substantially as set forth.

3. A combined gage and guard, composed of the guard-plate, the finger-plate at right-angles to the guard-plate, the elastic thumbplate parallel withsaid finger-plate, said finger and thumb plates being arranged to grasp a ruler between them, and the bridge between the finger-plate and thumb-(plate connecting The length of the thumb-plateGand'of the the same, substantially as set forth.

4E. Acombinedrgage and guard, composed of theguard-plate, the finger-plate at right-angles to the 'guard-plate, the elastic thumbplate parallel with saidfinger-plate, said finger and thumb plates beingarrangedtograsp a ruler between them, and the push-plate at one end of the guard-plate,substantially as set forth.

5. A combined gage andguard, composed of the guard-plate, the finger-plate at right-angles thereto, the elastic thumb-plate parallel with said fingerplate, said finger and thumb plates being arranged to grasp a ruler between them, the bridge between the fingerplate and thumb-plate connecting the same, and the push-plate at one endof the guardplate and at the endof the finger-plateopposite to said bridge, said push-plate being substantially perpendicular both to the guardplate and to the finger-plate, substantially as set forth.

6. A combined gage and guard formed of a single piece of sheet metal, composed of a guard-plate A having an inwardly-turned end 0, a finger-plate B extending longitudinally of said guard-plate A and at right-angles thereto, a thumb-plate C at a distance from said finger-plate and substantially parallel therewith, the free endbof said thumb-plate 0 being bent away from said finger-plate B, a bridge D connecting said thumb-plate and finger-plate and at substantially right-angles to both, and a push-plate Eat one end of said guard-plate, there being an inwardly-curved union between said push-plate E and guard plate A, and a close joint e between said push-plate E and said finger-plate B, substantially as set forth.

7. The sheet-metal blank having parts A, B, O, and D, said parts B, O,D, being in line with each otherand'parallel with said part A, said parts being adapted to be bent along the lines f, h, and i, said lines hand 4. being parallel with each other and perpendicular to the line f, substantially as set forth.

8. The sheet-metal blank having the parts A, B, C, D, and E, said parts A, E, being in line with each other, said parts 13, O, D, being in line with each other and parallel to the parts A, E, and said several parts being In witness whereof I have hereunto signed adapted to be bent along the lines f, g, h, and my name in the presence of two subscribing 'i, said lines h and 41 being parallel with each witnesses. other and lying on one side of and perpen- 5 dicular to the line f, and said line g being on Witnesses:

the opposite side of said line f and perpen- GEO. A. GULBERTsoN, dicular thereto, substantially as set forth. R. D. SMITH.

ARTHUR T. SNELL. 

